Withered Away and Blooming Anew

by SpaceIsEndless

SI/OC in which a girl, with no knowledge of anime whatsoever, dies and ends up being thrown into the body of Kinomoto Sakura at the beginning of the series.

4. chapter 4

I don't own anything you recognize as CLAMP's.

A long chapter for you guys.

o.

The book... just opened on its own.

I'm still holding onto it, my hands shaking and staring at the open lock which should not be open because I didn't touch it!

Okay, calm down.

The lock can just be old and weak and it just opened when I moved the book in my hands. It does seem a bit rusty so I'm guessing this book is old. Or maybe I'm just guessing stupidly and the freaking lock opened on its own.

Still trembling, I grab the edge of the cover and open it, frowning slightly at the content.

It's... cards.

There's writing that I can't read on the other side of the cover and the inside of the book isn't even a book. It's a deck of slightly bigger than usual cards and they look like those, what's the word? tarot cards? with the drawings on them. I place the book on the table in front of me and after taking a deep breath, I take the deck from the inside of the book.

The front of each card consists of an orange frame with two stars in the center portions with a flowing, thin golden frame around the central picture representing the card. Above, there's a half of a golden sun with a symbol in which I'm guessing Chinese or something because for the life of me I can't read it, and below, a ribbon with an English name on it and a small moon. And it the centre of the cards, there's a drawing which are the representatives of the cards.

Windy, Fly, Shadow, Watery... There's a lot of them, maybe around fifty? And they seem to represent each of the elements and a lot of other components of the world. It's like they're the literal representation of the world in card form. And there's something about them. I can't really explain it but when I touched them and grabbed them, they emitted this sort of aura? I'm probably imagining it but it felt weird and somehow comforting.

"What am I supposed to do with these cards?" I wonder to myself, and why did I hear snoring when I was going into the basement? I'm so confused. I pick up one of the cards, the very first one - the one labeled as Windy - and lightly touched the edges. The drawing was beautiful. It had the form of a woman, her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest. The cards are all very beautiful but I don't have utility for them. I'm not a tarot reader, "Well, back to the book then."

I start gathering the cards back into a deck, not really minding the order I put them in because I can't possibly remember their order and place them again inside the book gently. I stare at them - at Windy, more specifically - and wonder why they seem so... alive? It's just this feeling I have. Their presence is just... something.

And then, I remember the vision I had when I first picked up the book.

The one with me - but was it really me? because I'm not sure - in that pink and weird costume and the pink staff and the flying yellow plushie and then... the cards! The cards falling all around. It had been these ones, I'm pretty sure of that!

But why?

"What's so special about you?" I ask no one really, as I pick up Windy.

("What's so special about you!" he shouts as I cower in fear, against the wall, sobbing, "You walk around the house like you deserve it but you don't! This is my house and I'm not gonna have you walking around it, like a smug little shit! You're just a mistakeWe should've thrown you out as soon as you were born!")

Get out of my head! Get out get out get out!

I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the familiar rolling down of tears on my cheeks. I'm not special, I know it. I've known it since I could start understanding everything around me.

I look at the card and wince at the tear drops on it, "I'm sorry," I apologize, not even sure why I am doing it. It's a card, a non animated object but I felt the need to do it.

ding dong

I jump in surprise at the sound of the doorbell and frown. Who could it be? Why would anyone visit at the hour? I place Windy back in the book and walk to the entrance of the living room, turning around at the last minute to stare at the book, a weird feeling in my gut.

Maybe I should close it or something?

Shrugging, I jump again when the doorbell rings again and I fasten my pace towards the front door.

(The cards that lay inside the open book start glowing a soft yellow.)

With my heart racing, I reach out for the door handle and stop. Maybe I shouldn't open it. The fathe or the brother aren't here and I was specifically told to not open the door to anyone or even to tell anyone where I lived or--

Stop. I no longer live in that house. I can open and answer the front door.

I pull the handle and cover my eyes when the sunlight hits my face. I squint to see who it is.

"Sakura-chan!"

I yelp when the person throws themselves at me and I just see violet hair in front of my eyes. They pull away, holding onto my shoulders and I can clearly see that it's the girl from this body's owner memories. The best friend. Tomoyo, the memories tell me.

"When you didn't show up at school, I got so worried!" she says, now holding my hands gently and looking at me in so much concern that it throws me off in surprise. Oh, right. This girl had so many people who she could call friends and that cared about her. I'm a bit jealous." Are you okay? Are you still hurting? I can get you something, if you'd like."

"Er... Tomoyo-chan," I speak up, the honorific sounding so weird in my tongue and she blinks a couple of times, staring at me weirdly, "I-I'm okay. I'm feeling much better."

The sigh of relief that leaves her comforts me because I know that she won't press anymore. "I was so worried, but I am glad that you are feeling better, Sakura-chan."

I'm still getting used to being called that but the smile she gives me is so bright and radiant that I just can't help giving her a small smile in return. She's very sweet. She was so concerned with her best friend that she immediately went to see if she was okay.

I never had friends like that.

Okay, let's not turn this depressive.

"W-would you like to come in?" I ask her politely, moving out of the way.

"Yes, thank you," she replies, still smiling and walks inside, taking out her shoes and saying something that I didn't quite catch. "So, you are really feeling better?"

I nod, moving towards the kitchen. What do people offer guests? Tea? Coffee? A cake? "I am, honestly. It was just a, uhh, small stomache ache."

"I am very glad you're okay but I am very sad that I didn't get to see you in your cheerleading outfit, she sighs in defeat and I blink a couple of times, my hand freezing in the cupboard handle. What?" I could have gotten so much cute footage."

Um, what? Footage? Cheerleading outfit? Footage? She likes to film her best friend while she's wearing cute things and doing her practice?

Oh, god. Please don't make me wear cutesy outfits, I beg in my head, Please don't.

But she looks so sad. I'm not a mean person. I don't like seeing sad people, especially when it's because of me. "M-maybe some other time?"

Why did you say that?

But it seems to be the right thing to say becaseu Tomoyo is nodding vigorously, determined. "Of course!"

I laugh nervously. I won't be able to back out, will I?

"I have the perfect cost--"

A loud sound interrupts what she was going to say and we both release screeches, when a strong wind blows against us. The plates and cups I had taken off the cupboard flew across the kitchen and broke into tiny pieces. Tomoyo screams again and I reach for her, pulling her close to me, wondering what the hell is happening. There's a feeling in my gut and it's not a good one.

"What is going on?" she cries, over the loud wind.

I don't answer because it's futily to talk over this mess so I just pull her with me, out of the kitchen and maybe getting out the house when I remember.

The book.

C'mon! I think desperately, holding onto the other girl's hand and together we move against the strong wind and walk towards the living room, which is a complete mess. The sofas are turned over completely out of place, and the paintings that we're once on the wall are on the floor, the window is open with the curtains raging.

My eyes widen. The wind is definitely coming from the book, from one of the cards more specifically. There's something coming out of it! It doesn't seem fully materialized but it looks vaguely like a bird and it's moving upwards and the waves resulting from it leaving the card is blowing us back, against the far wall. Tomoyo releases a small groan of pain but I can't focus on her. I have to get that out of here. It's gonna destroy the house!

The not so much bird but more like a substance transforming into a bird releases a loud screech and the sonic waves of that hits us too and I'm getting dizzy. It looks towards us and seems to stare at me before it continues to move upwards, it's face going through the ceiling and as it goes, cards follow its movement and fly upwards with it.

"No!" I shout in panic, running towards the book and closing it as soon the bid sis out of the house. I close the lock and take it in my arms, moving towards Tomoyo again. "Are you okay?"

She is nodding and moving to stand when a loud screech echoes from outside and I shiver in fear because that was a fully formed bird screech.

Oh god. What are these cards?

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Tomoyo whispers, looking at me in concern. She's shaking, I notice as I help her stand and she seems to have a sprain ankle. Damn.

"Not really," I admit, wrapping one of her arms around my shoulders, so I can help her.

We walk out of the house. At first it doesn't seem like nothings wrong but there's tons of people outside, screaming in fear and asking themselves what is going onand just running somewhere far away from here. Because on top of my house, is a pure white huge bird. It's not moving, just looking from side to side as if examining its surroundings.

"W-What is that?"

I don't reply because I don't know.

The bird screeches and spreads it's wings, before lifting itself up into the sky and we can't do anything besides watching it. The book that I'm holding onto my chest tightly begins shinning and I hold it away from my face, afraid that it's gonna release something else. But it just continues to glow a soft yellow and slowly, something comes out of it.

I can see its round ears and it's yellow and it has wings and it looks like the plushie from the vision. The one flying next to me. It comes out fully and it stays there floating above the cover and I thank the gods that there's no one around because that'd be bad.

It opens its eyes and smiles, "Hello-o-o-o!"

Tomoyo releases a small whimper of confusion, holding onto me and I just blink at it.

It looks at me, still smiling, "I'm surprised that you were able to wake me up!"

"An Osaka accent?" Tomoyo says, without thinking.

The little creature crosses it's arms, still smiling, "Well, the book has been in Osaka for a long time. I've caught the accent."

"What are you?" I ask, not sure what it could be. A plushie is talking. A magical book. Magical cards? Where the hell was I reincarnated in?

"A talking toy?" the girl with me muses, holding her chin in thought, "But the mouth is moving way too in sync with what it's saying."

That seemed to anger it because it gives us a glare, that is not really a glare but it did try, "I'm not a toy!" it exclaims angrily, before crossing its little arms again, "I am Keroberos, the Beast of the Seal who guards this book!"

Seal? Beast? "What?"

The book in my hands starts levitating out of them and it puts itself in a standing position, the cover of it to us. "I look out for the cards in this book so they don't do anything bad!" The cover opens and the plushie - Keroberos, I guess - screams.

I wince. It still has some cards, but you definetly can see that there are tons of them missing. The ones that flew away.

"Where are the other cards?!" he shouts in panic, holding onto the only three cards inside the book, "Where did they go?!"

"Uhh," his stare moves to me when I begin talking, rubbing my cheeks nervously, "They, uhh, flew away?"

"WHAT?"

Both Tomoyo and I wince again.

"A-and one of them materialized? And it's flying over this city," I continue explaining.

Keroberos suddenly turns serious and flies up, staring in the direction the bird had flown before coming back down. "This is bad," he mutters to itself, "Bad, bad, very bad!" He turns to us, "The cards from this book are called Clow Cards. And when the Seal on them is broken, a catastrophe will befall this world..." The silence was thick between all of us and he continues explaining, his tail moving back and forward, "Those special cards were created by an amazing sorcerer called Clow Reed. Each card is alive and possesses incredible power... We have to catch it before it's too late!"

"How? There absolutely no way we can catch a huge bird," I tell him.

"You'll catch it!" he exclaims, pointing at me with a smile that could be considered evil on his face but it just made him adorable to be honest. "You released them, you catch them!"

"Excuse me? I'm not catching anything!" I exclaim back, shaking my head in fear. "And specially not a big bird like that that could kill me in a second!"

I already died once. Not dying again.

He flies towards my face, "You were able to open the seal of the book so that must mean you have some sort of magical powers," he states calmly, as if it's a nice and clear explanation, "You're the only one right now who can do something about this!"

"Magical powers?" Is he being serious, right now? But one look at his face shows me that yes, he is very serious, "I don't have magical powers! I-I'm not special! I can't do anything! I'm not the right person for this job! For any job to that matter!"

"Sakura-chan..." I hear Tomoyo whisper quietly but I don't look at her.

"You have to!" Keroberos shouts, narrowing his small eyes, "If you don't, then the city is gonna be destroyed and everyone is gonna die! Is that what you want? Do you want thousands of people dying because you think that you can't do anything?"

I freeze. Thousands of people on my conscience. No, I don't want that! I squeeze my eyes shut, my hands curling into fists. But... "I'm gonna die if I go up against that thing," I whisper, trembling and looking up to him, "I-I don't want to die." Not this time.

Tomoyo let out a small sound that I can't really decipher as a gasp or a small sob but I can see the plushie's eyes softening. He reaches out and pats my head softly, giving me a smile, "I'll help you, of course! With the mighty Keroberos by your side, nothing is gonna happen to you!" He's puffing his chest out and patting it and it makes me slightly smile and Tomoyo giggle.

I look up towards the sky, in the direction where the bird is flying and destroying trees and scaring people. God, I hope no one's hurt. Or worse dead.

They couldn't have chosen the worst person to be in this situation. Why me? They should've reincarnated me as a rock. That way I wouldn't screw up anything. Why did I open the book? Why did I follow the sound?

Okay, I tell myself, you can do this.

"Tomoyo-chan, do you have a hair tie?" I ask her, turning to face her.

She frowns in confusion but reaches for her wrist taking one of the three she has there. Not sure why but it's not important. "Here."

I take it with a smile and grab onto to the light brown hair and put it up in a bun. The bangs aren't long so they won't bother me but if I'm gonna do this, I can't have my hair in my face. I don't want it to cover my face and blind me.

I turn to face, ignoring how my hair is pounding and my hands are trembling, "What do I do?"

"Stand over there," he instructs and I take a few steps back from him. He tells Tomoyo to back away before turning to face me again, a little ball of light coming out of the book's lock.

"There's someone who would like to form a contract with you. A girl. Her name is Sakura."

It's really not but I guess, now it has to be.

A golden circle with weird symbols and letters and a sun and a moon appears beneath me with me in the centre, the little ball of light moving towards me.

"Oh Key, give her the power. RELEASE!"

The ball of light disperses and I close my eyes tightly, in fear of being blinded. A gust of wind rises around me. I force my eyes to open and see the staff from the vision appear in front of me.

"Sakura, grab the staff!"

I move towards it and hold out my hand, feeling the staff's surface and curl my fingers around it. It expands some more until a reasonable size.

"Yes!" Keroberos celebrates, "The birth of a new Cardcaptor!"

The circle and everything disappears and I'm left with the staff in hand and slightly disoriented. That was... strange. And I can't say that it wasn't cool because woah, that was magic!

"Now what?" I question softly, still staring at the staff and awkwardly holding it in my hands. It's very light surprisingly. The head is shaped like a bird's head with red gems for eyes, a beak, and a pair of tiny wings on the back of the head.It's very... girly and I feel really weird holding it.

Keroberos floats towards me and hands me the three only cards that were inside the book. I see that it's the Shadow, Wood and Jump. I think I was lucky that I even stopped that many from flying away. "It's not a lot of cards but we'll use them as we can to stop it!"

We both look at each other.

"Ready?" he asks.

No, not really but I don't have a say in this so...

"Let's get this over with."

o.

THERE was something off about Sakura-chan.

Tomoyo isn't sure what it is but there's something different about her. At first, it was because she missed school, even if Tomoyo knows that Sakura-chan doesn't miss school even when she's sick because she hates woreying her father and brother.

So, she went to see if she was okay.

And that's the other thing.

The way Sakura-chan didn't ask who it was or that she seemed to hesitate even though she was clearly behind the door and then, her eyes.

Sakura-chan has been her friend since they were very little and the fact that they're second cousins, so Tomoyo knows her very well. And she knows her friend's eye color. She knows it very well. She loves the green of Sakura-chan's eyes. She loves her eyes so much.

But when Tomoyo faced her, Sakura-chan's eyes were not the green she knows and loves. They were this mix between green and blue and that made her blink a couple of times in confusion.

Was her friend using eye contacts? No, that couldn't be. She doesn't use them. Her eyesight is perfect. So what could it be?

And if that wasn't enough, hearing her friend talk so badly about herself was the final stop.

Sakura-chan doesn't usually talk badly about herself. She's a very cheerful girl and very determined and loves doing things for others, helping them. It's what makes Tomoyo love her so much. It's just how she is.

Hearing her say how she wasn't special and that can't do anything was a hard blow to take.

Why did Sakura-chan talk like that? She's usually so happy and cheerful and when she can't do something, she'd try again and as many times as she needed!

But that...

That wasn't the best friend she knows.

But she'll stay quiet for now. Tomoyo's gonna observe the whole situation and maybe figure out what is wrong with her friend.

o.

THIS was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

"Good thing you have those things! It makes this easier!" Keroberos cheers, flying above me.

He's talking about the roller skates I'm using to be a bit faster. I'd never use ones before but they aren't as hard as I thought they'd be. And they're pretty fast which helps. I continue moving. We left Tomoyo back at the house because it'd be dangerous for her to come and she didn't protest, just gave me a smile and said good luck.

"How do we do this?" I ask, coming to a stop in a pretty open area, staring at the big bird, who stopped on top of another house, breaking through the roof. I hope the people that lived there are okay.

Keroberos hmms, hand on his chin, "We have Shadow, Wood and Jump. We can use Jump for you to get to it and then on its back and then Wood to keep it from moving!"

"Jump on the thing's back?!"

"You can do it!" he reassures, "It's gonna be easy, you'll see!"

I know that's supposed to make me feel better but it doesn't. I gulp, staring down at the Jump card. Okay, here goes nothing.

I get the staff ready, the golden circle from before appears beneath me again and a gust of wind rises up. The card is floating in the air and in one swift moment, I twirl the staff so that its beak hits the card dead on, "Jump!"

A cream pink colored substance leaves it and wraps around my feet. When it disappears, it leaves a pair of small white wings on them and I stare down in amazement. There's no connection between my feet and the wings but I feel them there as if they were.

"Let's go!" Keroberos exclaims.

Making an impulse with my legs, I jump and scream because holy crap, I'm so high up! This card is freaking strong! I can see the whole city from where I am and as I descend, I try to do it on the roofs of the houses (doing my best to not freaking fall on my ass because for some reason, I'm still wearing those stupid roller skates!) , going from one to the other, until I reach even closer to the bird. It screeches and a even stronger gust of wind sends roof tiles everywhere and me flying but Keroberos manages to grab hold onto me. I straighten up and jump in the air, placing my arms over my face so the gusts of wind the bird's releasing doesn't hit me in the face.

Okay, here we go!

I descend towards its back and take out Wood, letting it float off my hand and golden circle appearing beneath me again, I'm twirling the staff so the beak hits the card, "Wood, stop it!"

Dark green spreads out of the card and forms a beautiful lady covered in leaves and she wraps herself and the many branches she's creating around the bird, mainly around its wings, who tries to break free but she tightens her hold on it and it can't move.

"Now, Sakura!"

I land harshly with my stomach on the bird's back and in panic and fear, I grab on tightly onto its feathers, holding the staff tightly in my hand, words falling out of my mouth without control, "Return to the form you used to be, Clow Card!"

The golden circle appears and pulses when the beak touches the bird's back, an outline of a card appearing. It screeches one last time and its for begins fading, turning into the substance from before and before I know it, I'm falling from its back with a scream.

Im gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die again--!

"Go'cha!"

Something grabs me by the collar of my shirt and I'm lowered gently towards the ground, the roller skates making me lose my balance and I tumble to the ground. Keroberos appears in front of my face, smiling and patting my forehead.

"Good job, Sakura," he praises, "You did very good."

A card falls straight into my hand and I see the familiar drawing of the bird on it. Below it says Fly. Despite myself and the whole situation, my lips twitch into a small smile.

o.

Different person, different outcomes.

That's why it's so different and also because I didn't just wanna copy the anime and manga.